Principles of Chinese medicine, namely, balancing the five elements in the body (Metal, Earth, Water, Air, and Fire) and restoring balance to the body’s temperature, bleed frequently with its cuisine. When Lung Hin’s chef Lai Cheuk Kou prepared the menu, according to restaurant manager Eric Lim, he had summer in mind, and the dishes were meant to cool down the body (in Chinese medicinal terms, of course) with mind to the heat.

The jellyfish and the chicken were flavorful despite its simplicity, while the prawns, served with egg-based pancakes with noodles and vegetables, were fresh, almost as if they had been living just minutes before (and they probably were), in light of the plight of the steamed garoupa, which was steamed alive, its mouth agape as we feasted on its sweetish and tender remains. The diced beef cubes, meanwhile, were tender, and accented by crisp green vegetables. The duck soup seems to be the standout in these new selections, for if the items were indeed based on Chinese medicinal principles, well, the soup tasted like a refreshing tonic (or dare I say, potion), with a clear but dark brooding broth, with energy provided by Goji berries and other Chinese herbs. The rice, meanwhile, was topped with crunchy bits of dried fish and chunks of seafood and shellfish, and the mix of textures provides pleasure. The dessert, simple, as a hollowed-out dragon fruit, was filled with bits of mango and bird’s nest, the rare Chinese delicacy, and also concentrated more on the subtlety of textures.

The menu will be available throughout the year, after all, the country does feel like it’s in a state of perpetual summer.

Tefal’s new line of pots and pans

THE LINE OF pots and pans were launched by Tefal via a cooking demo in Quezon City on May 18, featuring chefs Deejay Santos (who made beef and veggie wraps and mole poblano quesadillas), Portia Baluyut (who made prawn and chorizo risoni), and Miko Aspiras (who made chocolate crepes and faux dessert carbonara). The line was divided into three categories: Pleasure, Character, and Expertise. All lines have a titanium coating on an aluminum base (as Tefal does stand for teflon and aluminum), with Expertise standing out due to its endurance for professional use. As well, the Expertise line has the longest lifespan of up to 12 years, while the Pleasure and character lines have a lifespan of four to eight years.

According to Tefal brand manager Mags Magao, the line was launched worldwide late last year, and hit the Philippine market early this year. “The feature that they want to inject to our cookware [is] the durability. We want something that is durable, but we don’t want something that is heavy,” she said. While there are, of course, other pots and pans within the brand, the titanium-based line is set apart by the fact that it the metal is 45% lighter than stainless steel (again, according to Ms. Magao).

Ms. Magao discussed why Tefal has ventured into this innovation, saying, “One of the major problems [of] prolonged use of nonstick cookware… is that to use it over time, we cannot promise that it will never peel off. Of course, there will come a time that it will have scratches. … What they’re doing is to find a solution: to bring an investment piece in your kitchen that could really last.”